Beauty: The Story of Drossel Keinz
by Kazuki Ein No
Summary: Drossel was not always the loyal wooden puppet master. This is the story of his life growing up, terrified in an unforgiving and dirty world, he struggles to find something beautiful in it, if it exists at all. For, can there really be beauty when all you've ever known is pain? Perhaps, there is beauty in pain itself.
1. Childhood

"Papa look! Look I found these flowers on my way home! Do you think mama will like them?" Drossel chirped cheerfully, rushing into the stone house.

"Drossel! Those are dead! Get those disgusting plants out of this house, your mother would be so disappointed with you!"

"But...Papa...they're so pretty...look the-"

The boy's father walked over, taking the bunch of decaying roses from the boy's hand, tossing them into the fire place.

"PAPA! NO!" The boy cried, rushing over, tears forming in his eyes as he watched the fragile frames of the flowers get consumed by the flames.

"Quit your sobbing and go back outside and collect the firewood like I told you too!"

Lower lip quivering, the young boy stood slowly, walking back outside and around back to collect the firewood they had stored.

Drossel Keinz lived a simple life in the country side with his father. His mother had passed when he was four, fallen prey to an unknown illness. Now, at the age of ten the boy lived with his father, managing to get by on their own. His father was a shoe maker in town. Though his business was slow, it was enough money to at least keep food on the table for the two of them. His hair was so matted down with dirt, that the natural red coloring of it was hidden, making him appear to be almost a brunette.

Picking up the dry pieces of wood, Drossel struggled around for a bit as he tried to carry as many pieces he could back into the house. Stumbling in the doorway, he ended up tripping over the rug, tossing the wood across the floor.

"Clumsy boy..." his father grumbled, picking the boy up and smacked him over the head. "Pick those up right now!" he ordered. With a whimper, Drossel nodded his head, quickly stumbling around the room to place the logs in their rightful place by the fire.

"Off to bed now!"

"But p-papa what about su-"

"Now!"

The boy flinched, nodding as he hurried off to his bedroom, closing the door. He loved his father, but he was so cruel to him sometimes. He knew he struggled to get by, grieving over his late wife, and Drossel couldn't help but let him be cruel. He was just as alone as the boy in the world, lost without his wife, a mother who knew how to care for a child. Without her, it seemed like a foreign concept.

Removing his worn coat and scarf, Drossel hung them on the arms of a rocking chair in the corner of his room. He took a large night gown from his bed and changed into it before he crawled into his bed, pulling the covers over himself. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out an old worn photo, his mother and father together, smiling. Staring at it for a few moments, a small smile crept over Drossel's face as tears formed in his eyes again. He clutched the photo close to his chest, turning onto his side as he pulled his knees up close, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight mama...and papa..." he whispered before he dosed off into a sound sleep.

That next morning, Drossel woke before the sun had rose yet. Inching from the bed slowly he dressed in the old attire from the day before. Worn out slacks that were hemmed at the ankle, a oversized button down and a small cotton vest. Pulling on his socks he hurried from the bedroom and out in hopes to find his breakfast waiting, but instead, his father sitting at the table with a young man. Hiding behind the wall, Drossel peeked out as he listened to the conversation.

"You see, you just owe too much...we'll have to take the house, take everything..."

"I'll have the money by the end of the week, just give me some damn time..."

"I'm sorry, we just simply cannot take that risk...you have until tomorrow to pay up, or we will be back on Thursday to take what you own..."

"But my whole life is here..."

"I'm sorry, those are the only choices...We already took the store, this is your last chance.."

Papa's store..they had taken it already? Who were these people? Drossel thought his father was handling everything, but he hadn't been working? Where did he go turning the day? His stomach rumbled as he clutched it slightly, slicking back from the wall. They weren't eating much...maybe it was true...papa just didn't have the money. That's where Drossel got an idea. He'd go himself! Go get some bread for him and his father! That would cheer him up, wouldn't it?

Hurrying back off to his bedroom, Drossel pulled on his shoes and jacket, stuffing his pockets with some coins and paper before he hurried out again. He quietly slipped from the view of the two men talking and hurried out the door into the cold bitter air of winter. He squinted in the dark, looking around. The sun was starting to rise in the distance. A smile to his face, Drossel hurried off down the dirt trail, running into the streets of London.

By the time he made it to the local bakery, the sun had risen, giving light to the stone streets of the city. Opening the door to the bakery, Drossel walked in, mouth watering as all the scents hit him at once. Fresh baked bread everywhere! Oh how it smelt so good. The boy's stomach rumbled more as he looked around the bakery with a wide grin to his face.

"Can I help you, boy?" A heavy set man asked, stepping out from behind a counter.

"Uh...y-yes mister! I want to buy a loaf of bread for papa and I!" he chimed in. "I find coins when I'm out walking a lot! I can pay with them!"

The bakery chuckled softly, taking a fresh loaf down from a shelf and handed it to the boy.

"Here you are, that will be two pounds my dear boy.."

Drossel giggled as he was handed the bread and stuffed his hand into his pocket, pulling out a couple coins before he handed it over to the man.

"Boy, this isn't enough, I'm going to need more than that..."

"But...that's all I have..."

"I'm sorry but you can't have that than..." the man huffed, reaching for the bread back.

"No!" Drossel cried, pulling away from the man with the loaf in hand. "Papa and I need this!" he cried.

"Son, you come back here right now..." the man warned, reaching for the boy.

Drossel's eyes widened, causing him to turn quickly and run from the man, running out of the store.

"Hey!" The baker yelled, bursting out of the door as he watched Drossel take off down the road, running back home.

"THIEF!" he yelled. "DIRTY ROTTEN THIEF!"

Drossel rushed back down the dirty road, until the city wasn't in sight. He panted heavy, clutching the partly squished loaf to his body now, sobbing softly.

"I'm...I'm no...no dirty thief..." he whimpered, wiping his face on his sleeve. "You're...You're just a mean man..." he whimpered.

Kicking a pebble on his way back home he wiped his sleeve again as he approached the stone house, walking inside. His father and the man were no longer at the table, in fact, it didn't look like his father was home, the fire wasn't going anymore.

The boy frowned as he started the fire himself and took a seat on the floor in front of it, smiling softly to himself as he waited for his father to return from where ever he had gone.

Removing his jacket, Drossel placed the loaf down on it as he looked around the family room. Hm, it seemed off somehow. Oh! An old vase was missing from on top of the fire place. Family photos were gone too..now that he thought of it, quite a bit was missing from the room. Drossel stood slowly, walking to his bedroom. Everything was still there as he left it. He quickly reached under his pillow to pull out his photo, yes, still there. He pouted and walked out to his father's room, looking around silently. It was...empty...all his father's belongings were gone, his mother's too.

"Papa must of went on an important trip..." he mumbled, walking back to the family room an took a seat again. "Yes, I'm sure that's where he went..."

The boy broke off a piece of the bread, eating it quietly as he sat by the fire and waited. For the rest of the day and into the night, Drossel just sat there and waited for his father to return. By mid day the next day, he had finished the loaf of bread for himself, cuddling into his jacket. The fire was dying, and the boy was starting to worry about his father now. No note, no...nothing. He rested to his side, curling up as best he could next to the fire before he dosed off.

"No, he's still alive...hey kid, wake up!" A man mumbled, shaking the boy.

Drossel whined, turning over as he squinted his eyes open, meeting the face of a strange man. He yelped and sat up, scooting away from the man as two more approached.

"I thought that guy said he didn't have kids"

"He did..."

"There's a room back there, looks like a kid room to me"

"Hey kid where do you live?"

"Kid? Hey what's your name?"

Drossel stood slowly, looking to the men quietly as he watched others around the house, moving things in and out. Did his father not pay like he had to?

"Come on, just take the brat to an orphanage.."

Orphanage?! But what about papa! He'd be so worried!

One of the men tried to grab the boy, causing him to bolt out the front door.

"HEY! Come back here you dirty brat!"

Drossel cried as he ran past some other men and around back of the house. He ran off into a field, just running from the shouts of the men behind him.

Rushing into a small forest, Drossel tripped, collapsing behind a large rock.

"Fuck, just let him go, who cares" a man called in the distance, before the sound of footsteps grew fainter.

Drossel pulled his knees up to his chest, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he pulled out his picture slowly. He had forgotten about that. He stared to the figures of his parents smiling faces as his eyes watered, tears streaming down his face. He buried his face into his knees, sobbing as he clutched his legs, just trying to keep himself warm.

It was clear to the boy, that his father would not be returning. Much like his mother, he'd never be seeing him again. Though, Drossel couldn't figure out if he was more scared or upset about being alone now.

As night fell, the boy curled up against the rock, trying to tuck himself under it as much as he could, adjusting his jacket to keep himself as warm as possible. He clutched the picture in his hands, staring at it in the faint glow of the moonlight, before narrowing his eyes. With ease, he tore the picture in two, tossing the ripped pieces of the photo away from him, pushing some dirt over it with his hand.

They had abandoned him, and he wanted nothing more to do with them.


	2. First Encounter

"My dear boy, what is that one made from?" an elderly woman asked, pointing to a sparkling wire and gem figure of a cat.

With a bright smile, Drossel held up the small trinket, moving it closer to the woman for a better view. "Copper wiring, and the gems, why they are rubies ma'am. Only the finest in all of London! See how they shimmer under the sun? Beautiful isn't it?"

"It's a delight..." the woman smiled. She placed down a handful of coins to the wooden table. "Will this do for it?"

"That will be plenty" Drossel smiled, handing the figure to the elderly woman, waving as she walked off with it happily.

Street life, was far from easy. Since the day his father had abandoned him, Drossel struggled to survive on his own. He ran from the police, stole from bakeries, occasionally, pick pocket, though he went to loot from those more fortunate. Surely they wouldn't miss some small precious gems. The boy struggled living on his own, and now, far into his late adolescence years, he thought he had it figured all out.

Nobody would hire some dirty kid from off the street, or would anyone take him in. He learned that he was the only person he could trust. He alone, was the only one that would care for him in this filthy world. However, Drossel swore he'd try to do better, so he took up making wire figures. Made from copper and silver wires and broken up gems from the people he had pick pocketed, the teen had managed to set up on the side of a street, day in, and day out, just selling the figures. He never sold them for much, fearing nobody would buy, but enough so he could buy his share of food, some clothing, instead of stealing it.

He knew it'd be just easier to sell the gems themselves, but he knew the police would catch on. After all, how else would a kid off the streets get a hold of such precious gems. No, he couldn't do that, so he focused on the art of sculpture. People seemed fascinated that each thing he put out to sell was handmade. Wire's twisted around gems, twisting around each other to form the perfect of simplest figures. He took pride in each one he created, nothing but gentle care with handling them. They were beautiful to him, each in their own ways.

With a soft sigh, Drossel glanced to the sky. The sun would be setting soon...so late already? The summer days were so long, yet just seemed so short. Picking up an old hat box from the ground, Drossel eased the remaining figures into the pocket, placing the box back to the ground before he took the table apart. Just a flat piece of wood on a couple logs. Placing them back to the side, he picked up the hat box, stuffing the money he had made into his pocket before he walked off down the side of the street quietly.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down~"

Turning his head, the teen looked to two young girls, skipping down the sidewalk, singing a familiar tune.

"...Falling Down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady..."

Watching the two skip off down the path, he continued on his way, finding himself humming alone to the tune in his head.

He knew it, but wasn't sure from where. Did his mother sing it to him when he was young? Possibly, but it wasn't anything he remembered her voice ever singing. He simply shrugged it off, continuing on his way to the bakery. He gulped slightly, picking up the last couple rolls left walking up front, handing the money over to the man. With a keen eye, the baker took the money and pocketed it before he watched the teen leave the store.

It had been a while since he last stole from any of the bakers in town, however they were all on watch now. Very few had actually see Drossel's face however, he would normally drape a hood over his head to hide it when he'd have to steal.

Walking out now, the teen bit into one of the rolls, the other tucked under his arm, hat box still in one hand. As he walked down the sidewalk quietly, he glanced from the corner of his eye to the echoing sound of the soft tune of a song. He turned slowly, trying to find the source, but not a soul was in sight.

"London Bridge...is falling down..." Drossel mumbled softly, humming softly to the tune. He slowly started to approach the direction in which he heard, but the music suddenly cut short. Turning his head, the teen frowned, clutching his box closer to his body before turning and continued on his way down the side walk. Let's see, he already spent a couple nights on some steps down on-

"Build it up with string and wood, string and wood, string and wood..."

"Hm...who's there?" Drossel mumbled, turning around as the voice of a man sung softly nearby.

"Build it up with string and wood..."

"What? Who's building what with string and wood?"

A man dressed in black stepped out from the shadows, a music box hung around his neck, a cane in hand. As he lifted his head, a large smile shown on his face, his brown eyes sparkled under the faint light of the sun set.

"Ahh...forgive me if I've startled you...I am Mandalay...Duke Mandalay"

Duke Mandalay?! Oh dear. Drossel took a step back. Did he pick pocket him? Someone close to him? Did he find out?! The teen started to panic, but refused to show his fear.

The Duke was a young man, not much older than Drossel himself. His hair was thick, a golden color which curled and clung to his face neatly. He removed his hat, holding it to his chest as he looked Drossel over.

"I've been watching you recently...in fact, I bought a couple of your figures the other day, don't you remember?" The Duke explained.

"I'm sorry...but no...I don't remember who I sell to..." Drossel mumbled softly.

"No? But surely the men you pick from?"

Drossel froze.

"Yes, I've seen you..you're very skillful with those hands of yours...with the figures you make, how you so skillfully pull from even the tightest pockets on men...clever boy you are~ So, this brings me to my introduction to you this evening."

Drossel gulped, expecting the worse.

"You see...I very much into the theater, not the live theater, no actors and actresses, far too complicated and moody. I mean puppets, marionette...hand crafted with care to put on the most beautiful of shows...I've come to ask, if you would be the puppet master, and creator for the Mandalay family. We love to put on small shows ourselves, you'll need someone to play the parts too, and who better than the man who creates them."

Puppet master? Creator? What was this, a game? Some sort of black mail?

"I...I have no experience with creation of puppets, nor a master of them..." Drossel insisted.

"No my dear boy, of course not! You use fine wires and precious gems...but the figures you create from them...an art form my dear...I will supply you all the materials you will need, want and desire. A work place for you as well, everything. Of course, a chamber of your own will be supplied, complete with meals every day, clean clothing...all you will need."

The Duke's words sounded far too good to be true. A new start, work to do, and reward would be food, and shelter, clothing and more...everything he dreamed of once again. However, there had to be something more the Duke wanted from him.

"What else would you be requiring of me then.." he asked.

"Require? Nothing more...we need someone to do the shows, create the puppets. As payment, I'll supply every desire you need, and most clearly do not have now..."

With a huff, the teen took a moment to think over the offer.

"Why do you need this puppet show business? Why is it so important to you?"

"You see, my grandfather started it up when he was young...he entertained the young children for days, small puppets, life sized ones...however, since his passing, the small theater and shop in front of our manor has been dark and quiet...I wish to bring life to it once again...so what do you say?"

Drossel tilted his head up slightly, meeting the Duke's gaze, the teen took a deep breath. Just for a little while...enjoy the feeling of a bed once more, a hot meal...yes, just for a little while.

"I'll do it...at least, I'll try to" Drossel mumbled.

"Oh, excellent! The local children I'm sure will be so excited! Uh, well I'll leave you to take inventory of the place and decide on what you will need! I cannot wait to see the beautiful puppets you can create!" The Duke continued. He put his hat back on, taking Drossel by the arm, dragging him off down the side of the road.

As the teen struggled to keep up he struggled to keep hold of his box as well as the uneaten roll under his arm. For a wealthy man, the Duke seemed...far from what Drossel had expected. He seemed, as young and as free as he did. He had always believed that the wealthy were all too stuck in their own lives to ever notice the lower class.

As the manor came into sight over the building of the small shop, Drossel's mouthed opened slowly as he gazed upon it. The Duke brought him into the shop with a grin.

"This is the only entrance, you go through to the back and out to the manor...anyway, this is the shop! My grandfather's puppets still linger around...but I will leave it to you to design and create your own!"

Drossel opened his mouth to speak, but the Duke was dragging him out back and towards the manor, walking in through a side door.

"This is home...uh I'd love to give you a tour but for now I am unable to, I have some of my own business to attend to though before I leave you, your chambers are there to the right. Your own private bathroom as well. There should be some spare clothing in the drawers...if they do not fit I apologize, but maybe something is at least over-sized for the evening. I will see to it that a tailor comes to size you. A maid will be down with a meal for you as well. The rest of the evening is yours!" The Duke explained, leading Drossel into his new bedroom.

As the teen took a moment to examine the light blue room, he turned his head as he felt his hand get grabbed and a small, cold object places in the palm of his hand. Retrieving his hand from the Duke, Drossel opened his hand, gazing down to a beautiful ring, with a sparkling blue gem.

"It's called the Hope Diamond...it was my grandfather's trade mark...legend has it, that is one half of the Diamond...nobody knows where the other half really is...but...I want you to wear it, as a sort of...good luck per say."

Drossel examined the ring, eyes wide as he gazed upon the beautiful gem in hand.

"Sir...I don't..I don't think I can...it's..."

"It's just a ring, please wear it...consider it a symbol of working for the Mandalay family."

Drossel couldn't understand how the Duke trusted him with such a precious piece of jewelry. How could he not think of him running off with it? Well, he was sure they'd track him down somehow to keep him from doing such a thing. Hesitating, Drossel looked to the Duke and nodded slowly.

"I will wear it, but not until I have bathed...surely, it will not look well when I am covered in filth."

"Yes of course! I will leave you to it! I will see you tomorrow than. Do have a peaceful night" he grinned. Bowing to the teen, the Duke took his leave, closing the door behind him. With a sigh Drossel turned, facing himself in a mirror.

"Who the f-...oh, that's me...disgusting..." he mumbled, tugging at his hair. Turning he made his way to the private bath, overlooking the tub. He reached forwards, slowly turning the knob and plugged up the tub. Fresh, clean water...what a beautiful thing. Though, it hurt him to think he'd destroy in the second he put a toe in the water. However, he stripped from his old clothing, piling them in the corner of the room, slowly sinking into the tub with a soft sigh. The water was hot, and felt good against his filthy skin. As he looked to the water, he watched the dirt as it turned the pure water to nothing but brown. Reaching under him, he pulled the plug to the tub, letting it drain before he refilled it. Shutting the water off, he leaned back, closing his eyes.

How was he the one so lucky to get this privilege, to get the Duke. A young man with money and a sort of power...he was nice to a kid living on the streets. He offered up more than just a couple coins, no he offered a new start. Opening the palm of his hand again, Drossel glanced down to the ring, giving a lazy gaze. Dipping his hand into the water he rubbed it off of most of the dirt, slipping the ring onto his hand. It was by far the most elegant piece of jewelry he had ever seen, let alone wear.

Leaning his head back again, the teen closed his eyes, just enjoying the feel of the warm water around him.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..." he sung softly to himself, slinking down into the water more.

"London Bridge is falling down...my...fair...lady..."


	3. Hope Diamond Power

Duke Mandalay was a strange man to Drossel, and acted as anything but a proper Duke in his eyes. While the mansion was filled with various servants of all kind, the Duke actually much rather himself doing a lot of things. He would prepare his own tea, and help the cook with his meals. He wouldn't request a maid of any sort to come and tidy up his chambers, no he did that himself, mostly for the reason he did not allow anyone into his chambers. Of course, everyone in the mansion wondered just what he was hiding in there, but nobody dare to find out.

It had been a few weeks since Drossel's first arrival, and within that short time, he was already quite hard at work. With the help of some others in the mansion, he had gotten the puppet shop fixed up, and as the Duke had promised, he had brought in any, if not every material Drossel could think of needing. Various crafting materials, tools, and fabrics to bring what will be the new found puppets to life. But of course, the puppeteer made sure that not just the puppets would be well dressed for the show, but himself included. He had created his own work uniform of a blue and red tail coat, with a gold bar trim across his chest, and completed with a red bow around his neck. He had spiced up a top add, adding a ribbon and some feather. The boots were a gift from the Duke, but the socks he had sew together as well. His idea was to look playful and friendly to the children who would be coming to the shows...and the Duke thought it was a good idea. The Duke thought everything Drossel did was a good idea, and always praised him, never scolded. Drossel never understood, but the Duke must of been seeing something in him, he noted the ring on his thumb now that he always wore. Nobody else in the mansion had anything similar to it...and what mad man would trust a kid off the street to not take it and run?

Fiddling with some wooden blocks, the puppeteer started to carve into them slightly as the Duke made his way in through the back.

"It's late, is it not?" He spoke, resting his cane in his hands as he stood next to the work table. The puppeteer glanced up, turning in his seat slowly.

"Yes, I know. I've been working on this one for a while now, and I cannot seem to get her face right yet..." Drossel said softly, looking down to the various pieces of wood.

"Her? Is she based off of anyone in particular?" The Duke asked softly.

"No, just an image in my head, nothing more..." Drossel replied, standing slowly.

"Well, come with me...I wish to show you something...you can continue your work tomorrow, hm?" He smiled brightly to the other. A devilish smile, that Drossel couldn't help but he drawn to, but feared in the process. It was almost too friendly, too welcoming...like he was hiding something and just couldn't wait to see the reaction Drossel would give.

The puppeteer looked over his work, cleaning up the wood shavings and placed the tools back where they belonged, leaving the wood out on his desk. He picked up the candle he had sitting on it before facing the Duke.

"Did you walk here in the dark my lord? You could of been hurt..." Drossel started.

"The wind knocked out the flame of my lantern" The duke said, holding up a dark tin lantern.

"Here..." Drossel took the lantern from the other, taking his candle and re-lit the wick in the center, closing the small door. He blew out his candle and placed it back on the desk, holding onto the lantern.

"I will carry it, you just lead the way" he insisted.

The Duke nodded with a soft smile and turned on his heel, walking back out the back of the shop. Drossel followed closely behind, making sure to lock up before he followed the other over the stone path and back into the mansion. It was pretty windy out...it felt as if a storm was nearby. The Duke led the other inside and up the nearby staircase, in the right wing of the mansion, where his chambers lay.

"My lor-"

"Shh...it's alright...I want to show you something..." he repeated, leading the other down the long hallway and to the end, last door on the right. Grasping the door handle, he twisted it and walked inside. Drossel held up the lantern, but the other was already lighting several candles within his chambers.

"There we are..." The Duke mumbled, blowing out the flame of the lantern and the match at hand.

Drossel looked around quietly, nothing seemed too...off. A king sized bed with only the finest of crimson silk sheets. His private bath was off to the right, but it was towards the back wall, that Drossel noticed what the Duke had been hiding. It was a map, the entire wall was a map of the city, filled with dozens of pictures of young girls tacked to the wall at what Drossel believed was their home. The puppeteer took a single step forwards, but the Duke walked straight to the wall.

"I've mapped out the entire city...I know where only the most beautiful of the young girls live...where th-"

"You are a monster...a pervert!" Drossel accused, stepping away from the other now. "These young girls...they"

"Their pictures are not here, for the reasons you may believe, my love..." the Duke smiled.

Drossel tilted his head often, not sure if he was more intrigued by the pet now, for what the other had claimed.

"I do not want these girls for my person pleasure...anything but...these girls are beautiful, and should only be treated as Princesses, and remembered only in their current state of beauty...not violated and tortured..." The Duke explained, placing his fingers to one of the pictures. "I want them to me memorialized as they are..."

"You...want them...memorialized? But...why?" Drossel asked softly.

The Duke left his cane leaning against the wall and removed his top hat, placing it on a chair before he walked over to the other. He took Drossel's top hat and placed it with his own before he sat the other on the bed, cupping his cheeks.

"You, my love, are a beautiful creature in yourself...you brighten these hallways with such...but you cannot be everywhere at once...that is why I want to memorialize these girls, place them all over the hallways, and make sure their beauty lasts forever!" he grinned.

"You want me to create puppets of them?" Drossel asked softly, trying to gather what the other spoke.

"No..." The Duke started. "I want you to bring them here...and preserve them as dolls!"

The puppeteer pulled from the other and stood up slowly. "Preserve?! As dolls! How could I fulfill such a request, I would have to murder them!" Drossel shouted.

"Murder, it's such a filthy word..." The Duke huffed. "You are not murdering them, preserving them!" he huffed, standing up. "Who better than a beautiful being...please do not fret, everything will go smoothly...you will be safe, and they will be safe...the ring will do all the work..."

"The ring?" Drossel asked, looking down to his thumb. The Duke cupped his cheeks against, rubbing his thumb over the others soft skin.

"Yes, that ring...it holds incredible power..." The Duke explained. His lips pressed softly to the others before he pulled away, lifting Drossel's hand instead.

"With it, you have to power to bring beauty to this god forsaken Earth...the girls, they regularly came to the shows...at the end of each, you are to lure one of them back into the workshop...a music box will draw them in..." The Duke continued.

Drossel bit his tongue, he was no longer making any sense, and he feared that this man had in fact gone insane.

"The ring...leave it somewhere for them to pick up...the ring itself searches for its true owner...it'll cast a spell on these girls, who hear the music box play it will draw them close..."

"I don't understand, but why?" Drossel tried to understand, but the Duke wasn't making any sense.

"Drossel...together, we can purify this Earth...we can make it beautiful...but we need to preserve the current beauty first...The ring wants to go back to its other half, back to its true master...anyone who wears it is at risk for falling prey to the ring's deceitful ways. When the ring is worn, the wearer for some reason, falls into a sort of trance when hearing the song, London Bridges...they are under control of whoever is the one wielding the source of the song...that is where the music box comes in...it will play nothing but that song, they will be drawn to it as long as the ring is in their possession...that's when you will get to work..." The Duke explained calmly. "I will help you for the first few times...you will see...its easy..."

Drossel gulped slightly, looking to the floor. The Duke, he was talking about murder, it didn't matter how he phrased it! He was taking these girls to murder them, and put them on display as dolls!

"I...I can't do that!" he mumbled, standing up again. "I just can't!"

The Duke stood as well. "You cannot say no...you'll just go right back out on the streets...in here...in here you are safe...I can care for you, feed you...we can be forbidden lovers in a twist of faint, Drossel don't you see? It is your future, you can do it!" The Duke grasped the other by the shoulders.

Lovers...what kind of sick lovers did this man believe they could be? Murdering girls for beauty...but the care he so desperately craved. The Duke was simply only trying to make the world more beautiful...and give Drossel the love and care he wished for, for so long. A selfish decision...but who would know.

"They...they won't feel it right?"

"Not a thing! We are not going to be cruel to them, we want them to feel nothing, but only leave their beauty behind..."

"So...they'll still be dead...?"

"No actually...they'll...sort of be with us...but more in a lifeless state...they'll be under our control you see..."

"But how? How does any of this work? Can we really pull it off?"

"Of course we can...we have the power we need, all we need now is to apply ourselves, hm?"

Drossel hesitated, making a fist as he took in a deep breath. He knew this sudden job came at a cost, but he didn't think it would go as far as to claim lives from others.

"I'll do it...but only under one condition" Drossel finally spoke up.

"Of course, anything my dear..."

"I will care for them personally myself...make sure they are safe, and nothing ever happens to them." Drossel didn't want to see these girls just become rotting dolls the Duke wished to hang in his hallways. He wanted to see their bodies were at least cared for, viewed only as beautiful and that their death would not be a waste.

"Of course, of course my dear...you can do whatever you wish with them...I want them safe after all, it is my greatest wish" The Duke smiled. He took Drossel's hand, bringing him around side to the edge of his bed.

"I wish for you to lay with me this evening...lovers in crime..." he grinned.

"My lord I...I just ca-"

"No, shh...I'll take care of you, isn't that what you want? You're greatest wish?"

Drossel did not know love, he couldn't even remember such a thing from his parents. He couldn't remember ever feeling it for another, nor receiving it from another. The Duke was not what Drossel would of expected in a lover, not a lovely young girl his age, but a man, a Duke...but he offered that care he so wished for the Duke practically had him melting in his hands. The love is all Drossel asked more, he didn't care what it looked like.

Slowly, the teen sat down on the others bed, removing his boots and placed them under the edge of the bed. The Duke walked around and sat on the other side, removing his own shoes and unbuttoned his tail coat. Drossel gulped as he removed his own tail coat, resting it to the floor with his boots. He couldn't get the thoughts of the girls out of his head, the Duke's plans. Could he really believe they could cure the beauty in the world? With murder no less. Drossel shook his head, he didn't understand, perhaps he was taking this different than what was intended, but he could only hope.

The ten laid down on his back slowly, looking up to the ceiling as the Duke blew out the candles next to the bed, and put an arm around Drossel, drawing him close.

"Together...we will cleanse the world of the unclean..." he whispered, nuzzling into the teens neck.

It wasn't long before the Duke was asleep, and Drossel was left staring to the dark ceiling, trying to run over everything that had just happened. Sleep was something he knew would not come to mind now, even as he closed his eyes, just laid there, picturing of what would be to come.

"The boy...he's an interesting one..." Angela said softly, seated on top of the mansion. "He will be excellent in the plans...so pure...perfect for cleansing this filthy world..." she whispered, a smirk spreading over her lips.


End file.
